A mayor of a city in Georgia was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly broke into a home and was confronted by an armed homeowner.
Khalid Kamau, the mayor of South Fulton, now faces multiple charges, including criminal trespass and first-degree burglary, after he entered property that did not belong to him early Saturday morning, according to WSB-TV.
The owner of the property told police he saw a man walking up the driveway to a residence he owns on a lake and go into the home. At that, the owner said he called the police, WSB-FM reported.
The property owner then told Kamau to “stay put” and then repeated the command while on the phone with a police dispatcher.
According to a police report, the homeowner said the man he was holding at gunpoint then said, “Do you know who the f*** I am? I’m the mayor, and I’ll wait for my police to get here and see what happens then.”
According to the police report, the mayor explained that he had intended to visit a dog park but ended up pausing to go into the house, referring to it as his dream home and expressing a desire to purchase it. The report also states that the mayor was aware that he was trespassing on the property.
In Kamau’s version of the incident, he claims that he was leaving the property when confronted at gunpoint, with the owner saying, “No motherf***er, you stay right there.”
Kamau said the owner cocked his handgun and said, “If you take another step, I’m going to shoot you.” He then claimed he said, “Are you going to shoot me while I’m walking away?”
He told police officers he then identified who he was and offered an apology.
He is referred to on the city’s website as “America’s first #BlackLivesMatter organizer elected to public office” and a “Southern, Black, Christian Socialist.”
“I just wanted to see the house,” he said. “I do apologize to the owners. I thought it was abandoned,” he added.
After smiling big in his mugshot, Kamau offered an apology.
“I apologize for the negative attention that this is brought to our city,” he said. “I hope that the spotlight on our city right now will highlight some of the inequities that have been happening.”
WSB reported that he was released on $11,000 bond.
“I do want to thank South Fulton Police and the staff and officers at Rice Street for courteous and professional service throughout the day today,” Kamau said.
WXIA-TV reported that the mayor must now go through a mental health evaluation due to the “circumstances of the warrant” and then follow a subsequent treatment plan.
In August 2022, a former Democrat state senator and party chairwoman who was given more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from the Black Lives Matter PAC to help her win the congressional seat for Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District was arrested for wire fraud after allegedly using contributions for personal expenses, particularly for gambling purposes.
Former Louisiana state senator Karen Peterson, who represented the 5th Congressional District for more than a decade, has resigned, citing mental health and “gambling addiction.”
The Louisiana Supreme Court suspended Peterson’s law license following her guilty plea, where she will more than likely be disbarred.
Peterson, who served as the chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party from 2012 to 2020, is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 7.
Peterson could receive up to 20 years in prison, $250,000 in fines, and three years of supervised release if she is imprisoned.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana said Peterson conned campaign contributors for at least seven years.